THEIR OBJECTS AND ORGANIZATION. 118 



and any one contemplating a summer's holiday amongst the Che- 

 viots or other of our upland districts could scarcely employ it 

 more pleasantly or profitably than in a pursuit of this kind. And 

 at the same time, the geological formations affected by different 

 species might also be noticed. The Flora of Northumberland 

 and Durham which we still hope to see produced by Mr. Baker 

 and Dr. Tate, will comprise, not merely a list of plants and their 

 habitats, but an attempt to treat the subject in a philosophical 

 manner with reference to the physical, climatological, and litho- 

 logical distribution of the various species. Of course, any care- 

 fully gathered information bearing upon these subjects will be 

 most acceptable to the authors. 



As regards the preservation from destruction of antiquities, 

 objects of natural history, &c, I do not see that, except by the 

 individual influence and example of their members, Clubs like 

 ours have much power in their hands. That there is in many 

 respects great need of some kind of influence being brought to 

 bear cannot admit of a doubt. The constant murder of different 

 kinds of birds under the mistaken name of vermin, and the whole- 

 sale pillage of the smaller birds' nests committed by small boys 

 are among the greatest evils of this nature. The first will pro- 

 bably not be much bettered under the present monstrously unjust 

 and barbarous system of game laws. The second would seem to 

 be susceptible of no other remedy than the penal system adopted 

 in France, one which probably would not be very well borne 

 amongst us. It was suggested to me some time ago by the Rev. 

 "W. S. Shields, of Warden, that the Club might advantageously 

 circulate among landowners a memorial protesting against the 

 useless slaughter of harmless birds, and pointing out the mistaken 

 ideas under which such a system is kept up. And it seems to 

 be well worth consideration, whether we might not adopt this 

 suggestion. 



The extermination of rare plants and ferns is perhaps a smaller 

 evil, but still a grievous one : moreover, it is generally brought 

 about by hands more polite than those of gamekeepers and 

 country lads — perhaps even by members of Field Clubs them- 

 selves. It is difficult, too, to speak in general or very sweeping 



i 



